Confusing Words of the Week

It’s time for “Confusing Words of the Week” where I take a set of two or three words that get confused and give you definitions and try to give you a memory trick to help you remember when to use which word. If you have words that confuse you, use the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to proofthatblog@gmail.com and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words are:

Defuse – to make less harmful

The officers worked to defuse the bomb

Diffuse – (v) to spread; (adj.) wordy, badly organized

She prepared a diffuse report of the accident

He wanted to diffuse the lavender in his bedroom.

Memory tips:

Defuse – to De-Fuse the situation

Diffuse – make a difference in the atmosphere (to spread) and to make it difficult to read (wordy, badly organized)